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Reduce Your Risk for AMD & Heart Disease
February is National Heart Disease Awareness Month and Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Low Vision Awareness Month.
Some of the same things that put you at risk for heart disease and stroke also put you at risk for AMD. These include:
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Obesity
- Smoking
The good news is that you can lower your blood pressure and cholesterol to reduce your risk of heart disease and AMD by:
- Consult a doctor; follow their instructions and stay on your medications.
- Eat a healthy diet that is low in salt; low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol; and full of fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Take a brisk 10-minute walk, 3 times a day, 5 days a week.
- Don’t smoke and if you do smoke…quit!!!
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Considering LASIK? Ask Your Optometrist
If you’re thinking about getting LASIK, you should ask your optometrist who they recommend. More than likely, your eye doctor will say “Eye Center of Texas” because over 275 Houston area eye doctors trust their patients to Dr. Mayo or Dr. Wade.
Don’t just trust search engines, trust the eye doctor who’s been taking care of your eyes for the last 5…10…20 years. When it boils down to it…who knows more about which surgeons get the best results than other eye doctors who have sent their patients and family members to Eye Center of Texas for more than 20 years?
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After LASIK…get out and enjoy Houston!
With so many fun things to see and do in Houston. Here are some of our favorite activities to do in Houston after you have made the quick recovery from LASIK vision correction surgery.
Hermann Park: is a beautiful wooded site with picnic areas, running trails, lots of on-leash dog walking areas, the Houston Zoological Gardens, a public golf course and an outdoor theater featuring plays and live music.
Discovery Green: This downtown park offers free yoga classes, movie nights and toddler story times. The park has a playground, spray fountain and Mist Tree, great for hot Houston days.
Memorial Park: Memorial Park is a sprawling park nestled within a wooded majestic metropolis. Enjoy miles of walking or jogging with friendly Houstonians. You will find this park to be very pleasant indeed.
Memorial/Allen Parkway Trails: The Allen Parkway and Buffalo Bayou trail revitalization is awesome! Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get over there to explore…but will report more when our temp warms up a bit!
Get LASIK at Eye Center of Texas on Friday…explore and enjoy Houston on Saturday!
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Give LASIK to Your Valentine!
Searching for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift? If your sweetheart wears glasses and/or contacts, consider giving the gift of LASIK. Okay, we get it…LASIK may not be the most romantic Valentine’s Day gift, but unlike chocolate or flowers the gift of sight will last a lifetime! Think about it, you could look into your sweetheart’s eyes – without looking through glasses!
LASIK Gift Certificates are available by calling 713-395-1515 (ask for Steve or Kathy). They will be happy to help create the perfect Valentine Gift Certificate!
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February is Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Awareness Month
Macular degeneration is a progressive eye condition affecting as many as 15 million Americans and millions more around the world. The disease attacks the macula of the eye, where our sharpest central vision occurs. Although it rarely results in complete blindness, it robs the individual of all but the outermost, peripheral vision, leaving only dim images or black holes at the center of vision.
AMD is the leading cause of severe vision loss in adults over the age 50. Although anyone can get AMD, caucasians are at higher risk than other races and women tend to develop AMD at an earlier age than men. There are several other risk factors for the onset of Age-related Macular Degeneration:
- Smoking
- Obesity
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
In the early stages, AMD doesn’t have any symptoms. However, there are complications that a patient should be aware of that become noticeable as the condition progresses. These include:
- Straight lines begin to appear out of shape
- Dark or white blurry areas appear in the center of vision
- Change or decline color perception
With no cure for Age-related Macular Degeneration, the best defense against the eye disease is early detection. As always, it is important for eye care patients to get annual comprehensive eye exams.
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Visian ICL or LASIK?
Not everyone is a good candidate for LASIK. When doing your research, you should look seriously at a practice that also offers Visian ICL as an alternate to LASIK.
If you have thin corneas, dry eyes and high refractive error – the Visian ICL may be a better option for you.
The Visian ICL is an implant and it doesn’t involve a laser to treat the cornea (this is especially good for patient with dry eye).
The Visian ICL is an outpatient procedure, takes 15 minutes per eye, little to no discomfort and has a 99.4% satisfaction rate.
The ideal ICL candidate is between the ages of 21-45 with high levels of nearsightedness and without significant astigmatism.
Recovery begins immediately, with most patients reporting clear vision by the end of the procedure.
Dr. Wade is the #1 Visian ICL surgeon in Houston. Call Eye Center of Texas (713-395-1515 and ask for Steve) to schedule your free Visian ICL evaluation.
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LASIK for $299/eye…Is This a SCAM?
If you drive a car in Houston, chances are you’ve heard this on the radio: “Happy New Year! Start your new year with great vision with LASIK…starting as low as $299 per eye”.
I hate to be the one to tell you…if it sounds too good to be true…it is!
Here’s what’s going to happen: you arrive for your appointment expecting to have surgery for $299 per eye, but by the time they add additional charges for upgraded technology, post op visits, guarantees…your fee will be closer to $2000 per eye. Or, because you have astigmatism (and most people do) you don’t qualify for the $299. If I had to guess, less than 1% of patients qualify for the $299 advertised price.
Don’t get scammed, ask questions before you book for “FREE” Lasik Evaluation:
- Do you use custom blade-free LASIK technology?
- Do you have the most updated software?
- How many procedures has the surgeon performed (not how many procedures has the center performed – big difference!)
- What’s the surgeon’s enhancement rate? Are enhancements included in the price?
LASIK surgery is not inexpensive. But, then again, you only get it once in a lifetime!
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The Evolution of Cataract Surgery
- The first reported surgical removal of a cataract was in 1748 in Paris. The early techniques involved removing the entire opaque lens in one piece using an incision that went halfway around the circumference of the cornea. It was critical that the lens remained intact as it was being removed, so surgery was restricted to so-called ripe lenses (cataracts so hard that they would not break into pieces as they were being removed).
- The most significant change was the introduction of phacoemulsification surgery in 1967 and is the most wildly used type of cataract surgery performed in the United States. In phaco, the surgeon makes a tiny incision on the side of the cornea, and inserts a probe through this opening. The probe emits ultrasonic waves that soften and break up the cloudy lens, which is then suctioned from the eye in small pieces.
- Originally, no lens implants were used following cataract surgery, and patients had to rely on “Coke bottle” glasses.
- Howard Ridley, a British ophthalmologist recognized that the penetration of shattered fragments from airplane windshields into the eyes of World War II fighter pilots when their planes had been hit did not always lead to damage of the eye. He created the first artificial lens from this material, leading to the creation of an entire industry.
- The evolution of smaller surgical incisions was matched by the development of new lens implants created out of different materials (such as acrylic and silicone) that could be folded to allow the lens to be inserted through a tiny wound.
- Today, Lenses are manufactured in a variety of different optical powers. Prior to surgery, patients undergo a series of measurements determining the length of their eye and the focusing power of their cornea to determine what will be the optimal intraocular lens power for them.
- Intraocular lens implants are now available that can correct myopia or hyperopia and also a variable degree of astigmatism.
- New advancements in laser technology are under development that will allow most steps of the cataract surgery procedure to be performed using a laser.
- Cataract surgery complications are few, and it is among the most common and most successful surgical procedures performed today. According to the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), 3 million Americans undergo cataract surgery each year, with an overall success rate of 98 percent or higher.
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About Cataracts
A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision.
- Most cataracts are related to aging.
- By age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery.
- Cataract surgery is one of the most common operations performed in the United States. Approximately 3 million Americans undergo cataract treatment through cataract surgery every year.
- A cataract can occur in either or both eyes. It cannot spread from one eye to the other.
What causes cataracts?
- The lens lies behind the iris and the pupil. It works much like a camera lens. It focuses light onto the retina at the back of the eye, where an image is recorded. The lens also adjusts the eye’s focus, letting us see things clearly both up close and far away. The lens is made of mostly water and protein. The protein is arranged in a precise way that keeps the lens clear and lets light pass through it.
- As we age, some of the protein may clump together and start to cloud a small area of the lens. This is a cataract.
- Over time the cataract may grow larger and cloud more of the lens, making it harder to see.
- Researchers suspect that there are several causes of cataract, such as smoking and diabetes.
What are the symptoms of a cataract?
- Cloudy or blurry vision.
- Colors seem faded.
- Glare. Headlights, lamps, or sunlight may appear too bright. A halo may appear around lights.
- Poor night vision.
- Double vision or multiple images in one eye.
- Frequent prescription changes in your eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Cataract surgery is a major life-changing event and choosing a surgeon should not be taken lightly. Two of the biggest factors impacting the success of your cataract surgery…is your surgeon’s experience and the technology. Dr. Mayo and Dr. Wade have performed thousands of successful cataract procedures, offer the latest in advanced lifestyle lens implants, specialize in bladeless cataract surgery and have a very low complication rate. Our surgeons aim to achieve the best for every patient by working with a team of experienced doctors that will carefully analyze your eye health and visual needs.
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What is Astigmatism?
I just received an email from a friend who wanted to know: what is astigmatism and can it be corrected with LASIK surgery?
Astigmatism is not a disease nor does it mean that you have bad eyes. Astigmatism usually is caused by an irregularly shaped cornea. Instead of the cornea having a symmetrically round shape (like a baseball), it is shaped more like a football.
Astigmatism usually causes vision to be blurred or distorted to some degree at all distances. Symptoms of uncorrected astigmatism are eye strain and headaches, especially after reading or other prolonged visual tasks. Squinting also is a very common symptom.
Yes,LASIK can correct most types of astigmatism. If you’re interested in finding out if LASIK eye surgery can correct your astigmatism, give us a call at 713-395-1515.
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Our Locations
Houston/Bellaire
6565 W. Loop S., Suite 650Bellaire, TX 77401
Medical Office:
713-797-1010
Medical Fax:
713-357-7276
LASIK/Near Vision:
Office: 713-395-1515
Fax: 713-357-7278
Pasadena
4415 Crenshaw RoadPasadena, TX 77504
Medical Office:
281-977-8800
Medical Fax:
281-977-8877
Sugar Land
15200 S.W. Freeway, Suite 130Sugar Land, TX 77478
Medical Office:
281-277-1010
Medical Fax:
281-277-4504
Clear Lake
455 E. Medical Center Blvd., Suite 110Webster, TX 77598
Medical Office:
281-332-1397
Medical Fax:
281-282-9152
Katy
Greenhouse Medical Plaza2051 Greenhouse Road, Suite 110
Houston, TX 77084
Medical Office:
346-547-7070
Medical Fax:
281-214-2971
The Woodlands/Conroe
100 Medical Center Blvd., Suite 118Conroe, TX 77304
Medical Office:
936-647-1610
Medical Fax:
936-647-1620